SC #05-1-16

D#05-11

Casey C. Grant, P.E.

Secretary, Standards Council

17 February 2005

To: Interested Parties

Subject:
Standards Council Decision (Final): D#05-11
Standards Council Agenda Item: SC#05-1-16
Date of Decision*: 14 January 2005
New Project Request for DAS/CTS Lightning Systems

Dear Interested Parties:

At its meeting of 12-14 January 2005, the Standards Council considered an appeal on the above
referenced matter.

Attached is the final decision of the Standards Council on this matter.

Sincerely,

Casey C. Grant, P.E.

Secretary, NFPA Standards Council

c: D. Berry, M. Brodoff, M. Earley, L. Nisbet, J. O’Connor, R. Roux

Members, TC on Lightning Protection (LIG-AAA)
Members, NFPA Standards Council (AAD-AAA)
Individuals Providing Appeal Commentary

*NOTE: Participants in NFPA’s codes and standards making process should know that limited review of this decision
may be sought from the NFPA Board of Directors. For the rules describing the available review and the method for
petitioning the Board for review, please consult section 1-7 of the NFPA Regulations Governing Committee Projects
and the NFPA Regulations Governing Petitions to the Board of Directors from Decisions of the Standards Council.
Since this Council decision is not “related to the issuance of a document” as referenced in 1-7.2 of the Regulations
Governing Committee Projects, notice of the intent to file such a petition must be submitted to the Clerk of the Board
of Directors within a reasonable time period.
 Standards Council Decision (Final): D#05-11
Standards Council Agenda Item: SC#05-1-16
Date of Decision: 14 January 2005
New Project Request for DAS/CTS Lightning Systems

At its meeting of 12-14 January 2005, the Standards Council considered the request of Mr. R.
Carpenter, Lightning Eliminators & Consultants, requesting that the Council establish a project to
address Dissipation Array Systems (DAS), also referred to as Charge Transfer Systems (CTS).
The Council has reviewed and denied similar requests on previous occasions. See Council
minute items 88-39 (April 1989), 90-29b (October 1991), and 00-61 (July 2000 and January
2002). In reviewing the current request, the Council has been guided by its previous
consideration of and approach to standards development for conventional and early streamer
emission lightning protection systems. See, e.g., Standards Council Decisions #00-13 (Agenda
Item 99-113, 28 April 2000), #00-22 (Agenda Item 00-60, 20 July 2000), #00-30 (Agenda Item
00-60, 6 October 2000), and #01-26 (Agenda Item 00-60, 4 October 2001). Under this approach,
the Council has required a showing that there is an ample basis in the scientific and technical
literature for meaningful standards development activities for those systems. The Council has
generally required that showing to be made through submission of an independent review and
analysis from a reliable source demonstrating the validity of the basic technology and science
underlying the lightning protection system under review. The submissions that have
accompanied the current request to develop standards for DAS/CTS lightning protection systems,
do not, in the view of the Council, provide such a review and analysis; nor do they make a
showing that there is ample basis in the scientific and technical literature to support meaningful
standards development for DAS/CTS lightning protection systems. Based on its review of the
record before it, therefore, the Council has voted to deny the request. As it has said in the past, the
Council is not foreclosing future standards development activity should the state of knowledge
evolve to justify it. Should that eventuality arise, interested parties should address requests to
initiate such a project to the Council.